Chargers aware what they must do against PSJA North defense
By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Both Brownsville Veterans Memorial and PSJA North have been pleased with their defensive efforts.
In Week 1, the Chargers played very good defense against Donna High but the Redskins capitalized on some late turnovers by the Brownsville Veterans offense to complete the comeback.
The Raiders’ defense also was very aggressive, swarming PSJA High all evening and getting an interception return for a touchdown in the victory.
Brownsville Veterans coach David Cantu knows his offense must be much better in Week 2.
“The (PSJA) North defense is very aggressive,” he said. “They run a 3-3 stack, they’ll have six in the box with five coming at all times, so we’re prepared for that. We know we need to play a lot better for four quarters. We had some breakdowns that were mistakes, but we’ve worked on those and feel we’ll be a sound football team (today).”
The Chargers’ offense will be without one their weapons. Starting running back Omar Rodriguez is feared to be out with a knee injury suffered against Donna High. But Brownsville Veterans is deep at running back and should be able to make up the difference.
“He’s our heart and soul, our spiritual leader,” Cantu said.
Pena also has some concerns about his offense. The players are young and are more apt to make mistakes.
“With every game, we’re going to have to get better and better,” he said.
The opportunities have come via the defense, but they haven’t translated to points yet.
“We just need to do a better job executing and making fewer mistakes,” Pena said. “We did a good job of protecting the football.
“We didn’t turned the ball over and that’s why we won (against PSJA High).”
The Chargers will look to make big plays on either side of the ball or special teams. Cantu said the game would come down to who does a better job of making those plays.
The Raiders know they must play a similar game in all phases against Brownsville Veterans, like they did against PSJA High.
“Brownsville Veterans is probably one of the most talented teams in that district (32-6A),” Pena said. “When you watch them on film, you’re impressed with their talent and skill. We have to protect the football, move the chains and keep playing good defense.”
The Chargers aren’t where they want to be as a team, but are making progress.
“We’re trying to peak at the right time, we’re getting better every day,” Cantu said. “Our defense especially has had great coverage, they’ve done an unbelievable job. We just need to put it all together.
“We’re fired up and ready to get a win in the win column.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.